Adjustable rail clamp



. Jan. 6, 1931. R. J. WELLS ADJUSTABLE RAI L CLAMP Filed May 24. 1929 fPatented Jan. 6, 1931 RALPH J; l or nation, onto I gnausr'nfernRAIL-CLAMP My invention relatesrto':railway tracl struction and moreparticularly to an adjust-- able rail-clampifor securing the track railto a tiexorsleeper. a o a '5 In the instaliation; and especially in: therepair of railwaytraekagegit is: desirable that the? trackrrail. andvfasteni'nga:means may berelatively adjustable througheailimited range tocOmpensate for. wear; inaccuracies of installati'on: and t0: insureproper gauge; The

use oiira-il-sclainps :engaglngeithebas'e fiangeof the :railihasbeenzmorle' on'lessacoinmoiru Such? rail clamps-:Ordiharily do notrprovid'e for adjustm'ent' tow ard i marrow the rail, or where 1'5 suchadjustment has been attempted the fitstening; devices arenot-vsecurerfand are likely to become; loosened lby the- 'ivi'bration Tand strains: incident to izpassingitraflie. a

Th'e1presentiinventiorripert'ains: to a' clamp;- plate having; lockingmeans for; securing'it ina different'positions of relativeradj nstmentin;-:

eluding anieccentric collarrevolublysinounted:

upon; a :clamp 1136117 and i-engagable' :with the clamp plateiinvaniou-s p'ositionsaof revoluble 2 adjustment; .thevc1amp-:platewbeingzlaterally shiftablexto. various positions in accordance withstherevol'nbleadjustment of the eecen- The object. of the rinventi on is tosimplify the structure ast'well aso-zthe'imeans rand-mode of";operations oii adjustable-i; clamp? means whereby such clampmeainsqvill-lriotonlybe cheapened-in: construction; but: will; be moreefiicient in use; positiverin :operation; capable of being easily andquickly adjusted to differe; ent relative poistions and unlikely. to iget out of repair; l

A further andsimportant? obj ect: of the -in vention is to providelocking means -forposi 4 several positions.-- I I A further iob'ectrofthe inventionis to provi de' a=locking;-rneans: which; while-capable otbeing; easily and quickly, relieved when the occasion requires, will notbesubj eat to acct dental release.-

I further and imp ortant; obj ect of thel injyei'rtionis to provide suchaepnstructionzhavzingifew.partstifhiehniaybeehe la: main bin-tor njrtitiiiin giinni a. e. 9.. at. A.

tively holding the clamprplate in anyone of interchangeable] a With the;ab eve primary andrz othen *incie 1 dental obj eot's-in; View; aswillmore: fully ape maohinin g-operation;.ti B'YPMES -'of w\hich are:

pear intlie specification; the inventiom cone sists of the features O'fgconstruction the pants.- and combinations --thereof an'd the anode ofoperation or their equivalents" iLSrhBIlIlflfhQl describedand setfjorthin the claims Referring, to the accompanyingdrawings? wherein isshown the: preferred; but! obviously? not necessarilythe only form:ofrembodinlent of the invention; Figqlisia perspeetiverview ofa-shortportion eta-railwayrail to which:

the present adjustable; Clampidevi'ce has: been, pplied, Y

Fig 2='is-a-detail-transverse sectional viewthrough the railwayrail-and-adjustableeclampy members applied to the 'baseiflan'ges on'oppo'e site sidesof therai l;- e

Fig 3 is ;a top plan View :semewhatsdiw graminatic, illustrating therange 0t adjust-v nient of the clamp plate and'locking; collar.

,Figs.-4and5 are a top planland sectional:

view respectively illustrating; a-modificationa 751 Fig, 6-is a top planview-oftheclamp platei with the locking collar removed Like. parts:areindicated a by simi1an-chamacters of 5 reference throughoutfithefseverala v1ews.- i a I 7 Referring to the drawings, .11 "indicates thatrailand 2 thesleeperor tie u-ponwhich thee rail 1 tests; The-base fiangeof' the "railisen f gaged by an overlapping clamp*g platew='3l Thisclamp plate 3 i -pjreferably thoughnot' s5 necessarily providedwitlr afulcrum beadion rib 4 on its under; face adjacent to 'theaou'ter':

e, etiid-(e'iteiidsga Ima ine-.8 thuererolubly, m

but eccentrically mounted upon such bolt or stud. This locking collar8is preferably,

though not necessarily, of polygonal shape with which contour the socketor recess in the clamp plate 3 agrees. The locking collar 8 isengageable in such socket or seat within the clamp plate indifferentpositions of revolu ble adjustment. The seat within the socket or recessand the under face of the locking collar 8 are preferably, though notnecessarily, inclined or of substantially pyramidal form to insure aWedging or tight seating engagement. 7

By turning the locking collar 8 throughout varying degrees of partialrotation about the stud or bolt and correspondingly shifting the clampplate 3 to bring its socket or recess into registry with the adjustedlocking collar, suchclamp plates may be secured indifl erent positionsof relative adjustment, a few of Y which have been illustrated in Fig.3. When the collar -8'is interengaged with the clamp plate?) in any oneof these various positions and so held by the clamping adjustment of thebolt 6 orscrew 7, the clamp plate 3 is positively held against relativeshifting motion.

In Figs. land 5, there is shown a modification wherein a circularlocking collar 9 is seated in a corresponding circular recess or .socketin 'theclamp-plate and interlocked therewith by the engagement of'a lugor proection 10 upon the clamp plate within one or another of a seriesof peripheral notches 11 in the locking collar. While the polygonal formof locking device, illustrated in Figs. 1 .to 3, is to'be preferred, itis obvious-however, that other forms of device may be utilized. In orderto afford a larger number'of different effective positions ofrelativeadjustment of the clamp plate and bolt and to effect suchadjustment in comparatively small steps, the center of the eccentrichole for the bolt 6 is not located on either a'diameter bisectingoppQsite flat faces of the polygonal locking collar 8 nor on a diameterbisecting opposite angles thereof, butin a position intermediate suchdiametrically lines as shown in Fig. 3.

This enables variation of adjustment to six different degrees.

To prevent the accidental loosening of the nut uponthe bolt 6 bythevibration incident to passing trafiic, the contact faces of the nut andthelock collar 8 are preferably though not necessarily radially toothedas indicated at 12. The teeth are of angular formation having a ratherextended inclined face in the direction of rotation of the nut, enablingthe teeth to riderather easily over one another as the nut is tightened.Inasmuch as the teeth are rather shallow, the bolt will yieldsufficiently against the resiliency of the tie to permit such teeth topass. The opposite faces of the teeth are inclined more abruptly, beingdisposed at an approximately forty-five degree angle. This will normallyresist reticular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable,but which obviouslvis susceptible of modification in its form,proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts withoutdeparting from the principle involved orsacrificing any ofitsadvantages.

While'in order to comply with the statute the invention has beendescribed in language more or less specificas to. structural features,it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited to thespecificdetails shown, but that the means and construction hereindisclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting theinvention into effect and the invention is, therefore, claimed in any ofits forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An adjustable rail clamp including a clamp plate having a polygonalsocket therein and an enlarged opening within the socket, I

a clamp bolt extending'through such opening in relation with which theclamp plate is capable of lateral shifting movement in variousdirections relative to the bolt, a polygonal collar'adapted to fitwithin said socket in various positions of revoluble adjustment, saidcollar being eccentrically mounted upon said clamp bolt for revolubleadjustment thereabout, the engagement of said polygonal collar in saidpolygonal socket in different positions of revoluble adjustment aboutthe bolt serving to lock said clamp plate in its different positions ofadjustment against the lateral shifting motion.

2. An adjustable 'railclamp comprising a clamp me1nber, a clamp "bolt inrelation with which the clamp member is capable of relative shiftingmovement, said clamp member having a seat in the top face thereof and alock collar eccentrically mounted relative to the clamp bolt forrevoluble movement there about, said collar having locking engagementwithin the seat in thetop face of the clamp member in differentpositions of its revoluble adjustmentto hold the clamp member againstshiftingmovement and a clamp nut on said bolt bearing upon said lockcollar.

3. In a device of the character described,-a clamp bolt, a pyramidalcollar having an eccentrically positioned hole through which the boltextends, and an adjustable member having therein an enlarged opening forthe bolt, 1

' locking collar.

(Ell

and a seat shaped to receive the collarv with Which the collar isengageable in various positions of revoluble adjustment. 7

4:.In an adjustablerail clamp, a clamp plate having an enlarged openingtherein for ;a clamp stud, a Washer having seated engagenient'vvith thetop face of the clamp plate upon the contact faces of the nut andlocking collar.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set hand this 18th d in variouspositions of revoluble adjustment,

said Washer having therein an eccentrically positioned hole throughwhich the clamp stud extends and a clamp nut ons aid stud bearing uponsaid Washer.

5. In an adjustable rail clamp, a clamp plate having therein a polygonalsocket, a polygonal Washer engageable in said socket in various positonsof revoluble adjustment, said J washer havlng therein an eccentrlcallyposiv tioned holefor a stud, and a clamp stud extending through theclamp plate and through the eccentrically located hole in the Washers 6.In an adjustable rail clamp, aclamp plate having therein a pyramidalsocket, a,

correspondingly shaped insert for engagement in the socket in variouspositions of revoluble adjustment, said insert having therein a holelocated in eccentric'position,

- and a-clainp stud extendible through said I hole, the clamp platebeing secured in various positions of lateral adjustment by theengagement of the insert in said socket in diiferent positions ofrevoluble adjustment about the axis of the clamp stud.

7. In an adjustable rail clamp, a clamp plate, a locking collarengageable with the plate in different positions of revolubleadjustment, said collar having an eccentrically positioned hole therein,a clamp bolt extending through said hole anda clamp nut carried thereby,and interlocking inclined teeth upon the contact faces of the clamp nutand the lar, the lateral faces of the teeth being in- V clined todifferent degree With the faces successively engaged during tighteningadjustrnent of the nut inclined at a lesser degree thanthose facessuccessively engaging upon reverse adjustment ofthe nut.

9., In an adjustable rail clamp, a clamp plate, a locking'collarengageable With the a plate in different positions of revolubleadjustment, said collar having an eccentrically positioned holetherein,-a clamp bolt extending through said'hole and a clamp nutcarried thereby, and interlocking angular teeth ay of May, A. D. 1929.

RALPH J. WELLS.

